Lords Hotel

The toilet smelled, though I assumed it was because of old pipes in an old building. There was no storage or locker room. You could leave your bag at the reception counter for a fee, or for free in the hall, but that felt insecure. The location was great, but there was no lift. We were on the top floor and the climb to the 4th floor with luggage was exhausting.

The room was noisy enough that restful sleep seemed impossible. You could hear every step, movement and conversation from other guests, and loud banging in the morning as people went downstairs for breakfast. We chose not to eat there because the rooms' condition and the reviews we'd read gave us no confidence in the food. The second room was free of mold, but had its own problems: warm water took ages to heat up and had almost no pressure, making a proper shower nearly impossible. The bed was worn out, like a hammock, and gave me severe back pain. We arrived at 3 p.m. after an easy bus ride, but our room wasn't ready, so we waited around 30 minutes in a lounge with several other guests. It smelled strongly of fresh paint or door varnish, which made waiting unpleasant. In our first room, room no. 3, we found a large patch of mold on the ceiling and reported it straight away. The receptionist was friendly, but the woman responsible seemed annoyed, didn't apologize, and just said we'd “just get another room.” We saw no effort to address the mold. With the mold, the way our complaint was handled, the awful bed, poor shower and constant noise, we definitely won't return and can't recommend the hotel.

At first the room looked clean and suitable for a short stay, but closer inspection turned up lots of problems. The TV didn't work and looked as if it might fall off the wall. The bathroom extractor fan was extremely noisy, the mattress springs stuck out, so I slept on top of the duvet, and the spare blanket smelled of feet. The shower pressure was the most pathetic I've ever experienced, just a trickle, making it really hard to wash my hair or get properly clean. The hotel is centrally located, a short walk from Queensway/bayswater station, but it's split between two separate buildings a few minutes' walk apart. I was put on the fourth floor with no lift, which would be a struggle with luggage. There's also a £3 charge to leave your bag if you want it protected. I wouldn't recommend it, as there are better places in the same budget.

The location worked really well, with restaurants and shops nearby and plenty of Underground stops within walking distance. Check-in was easy, and I got into my room a couple of hours early. The room itself was downstairs under the staircase, right beside the breakfast room. Noise from the stairs and hallway carried on until 1 a.m., then voices from the dining area started up during breakfast from 6 to 10 a.m. It was incredibly frustrating, and I can’t imagine there’s a worse room in the hotel. Breakfast was included and seemed to be the main selling point, but it was only continental, with four items total including a drink and things like butter or jam. Cooked food cost extra. On my second morning, I followed the sign to wait to be seated, but was told to come back because there were no tables. Three groups came in and sat down on their own while I waited. After ten minutes I did the same, and staff told me to move. Staff were also very slow to respond to requests.